Riot
Thundersteel

I have to admit, it surprises me a bit that there are no reviews of this impressive album. No problem, let's get moving and comment on a record that any metal music enthusiast should immediately make their own, without a second thought.

Riot released their sixth album in 1988, the first with singer Tony Moore, an excellent addition to the Heavy/Power Metal American band, and with Mark Reale as the sole guitarist.

Thundersteel immediately strikes with its raw, essential yet absolutely compelling sound, and with Moore's astonishing voice, which fans will appreciate right away.

In the first position, we immediately find the title track, equipped with great riffing and a lethal drive in the intro and chorus, thanks to a masterful use of the double bass by drummer Bobby Jarzombek; curiously, the latter will share his role with Mark Edwards, who will appear in the credits for having contributed to the recording of the album by playing on four songs (tracks 2, 3, 5, and 7).

As often happens, the title track represents the essence of the album, and "Thundersteel" is no exception: only "Sign of the Crimson Storm", "Bloodstreets" and the extraordinary "Buried Alive" present slower rhythms, but in their way are absolutely commendable: the first with a chorus that's all made for singing, the second driven by a lethal gallop and a fantastic solo, and the latter, the longest and most structurally complex (halfway an epic guitar solo that stands out on the amazing soundscape created by a guitar arpeggio and the notes of a piano and halfway almost a separate track with hellish riffs that pump up like few others). The remaining songs are instead set at more frantic but well-arranged tempos. "Fight or Fall" and "Flight of the Warrior" probably embody best what was just said, with fast but stylistically simple and impactful riffs and a double bass work that well supports this sound with quite evident speed influences. "On Wings Of Eagles" and "Johnny's Back" slightly slow the pace but remain compelling, even though they are probably the two less successful tracks of the album, despite the listening remaining enjoyable. Only "Run For Your Life" is left, an excellent typically Heavy Metal track with a riff very similar to "2 Minutes to Midnight" by Iron Maiden which dominates the entire verse and chorus.

In conclusion, I can't help but give due praise to an album with more than excellent overall quality, even if it won't be the band's only positive work; they have already proven to be a band with guts with albums like "Rock City" (which I believe, along with other studio efforts of other perhaps more renowned groups, contributed to the birth of Heavy Metal) and "Fire Down Under" (one of the very first examples of U.S. Power Metal), and they will continue to do so subsequently with albums like "Nightbreaker", just to name one. It's a shame they're so underrated, but ultimately it doesn't really matter; what matters is being able to enjoy some great Power/Heavy Metal albums that Riot have given us, and "Thundersteel" is one of them, if not the most important and successful of the band's career.

Not giving it a listen would truly be a big mistake, especially if this is the genre you prefer.